Por Renan Filho · 2026-10-28
**Lead**
A joint session of the UK Parliament’s International Development Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee heard today that Nigerian women and girls are the hardest hit by recent cuts to British and American overseas development assistance (ODA) targeting sports‑based programmes. Witnesses described how funding reductions have forced the closure of community football leagues, athletics clubs and leadership workshops that were specifically designed to empower young women in northern and rural regions of Nigeria.
**Context**
The UK government’s decision to reduce its ODA budget from 0.7% to 0.5% of gross national income in 2021, followed by further cuts in 2023‑24, has had a cascading effect on small‑scale sports projects that relied on Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) grants. Simultaneously, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has scaled back its support for gender‑focused sports initiatives in sub‑Saharan Africa as part of broader foreign aid reductions. Nigeria, which had been a priority country for both donors in the field of sport for development, has seen a disproportionate loss of funding compared to other nations.
According to evidence submitted to the committee by a coalition of non‑governmental organisations, at least a dozen grassroots sports programmes in Nigeria have either suspended operations or shifted their focus away from gender‑specific activities since 2022. These programmes had been credited with increasing school attendance among girls, reducing early marriage rates and providing safe spaces for physical activity in communities where cultural norms often restrict female participation in sport. The committee was told that the cuts have been particularly severe in states such as Kano, Kaduna and Borno, where insecurity and poverty already limit opportunities for women and girls.
**Analysis**
The impact of these funding cuts extends beyond the loss of sporting opportunities. Sport‑for‑development programmes in Nigeria have long been used as a vehicle for delivering health education, life skills training and economic empowerment. When a girls’ football league loses its funding, it is not just matches that disappear; the accompanying mentorship sessions on reproductive health, financial literacy and leadership also vanish. Witnesses warned the committee that the withdrawal of British and American support risks reversing the modest gains made in gender equality in Nigerian sport over the past decade.
Moreover, the timing of the cuts is particularly damaging. Nigeria is preparing to host several regional sporting events, and the government has been investing in women’s football and athletics as part of a broader push to improve the country’s international standing. The loss of external funding for grassroots development means that the talent pipeline for future female athletes is being choked off at its source. Without sustained investment, the committee heard, Nigeria’s women’s national teams may struggle to remain competitive, and the social benefits of sport for marginalised girls will be lost.
**Sources**
The information in this article is based on public testimony given before the UK Parliament’s International Development Committee and the Foreign Affairs Committee on 28 October 2026. Additional context was drawn from published reports by the FCDO, USAID, and the Nigerian Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, as well as from briefings provided by the non‑governmental organisations that submitted written evidence to the committees. No specific names of individuals or precise funding figures have been cited, in accordance with the editorial policy of FORTIS NEWS.